Soul of Siegfried: Schwarzwind
by Mela Sunstrong
Summary: A young Siegfried's adventures with the Schwarzwind, before the events of Soul Edge, Calibur etc.
1. Prologue

Loam crunched softly beneath his feet, and the sun winked at the generous blade of the sword at his back. The tow-headed lad was only fifteen years old, the weapon taller than he was, yet he was not dwarfed by it as one might expect. He carried both the zweihander and himself with confidence. Today, he was hunting.

Siegfried had only just begun seeking out opponants to test his strength against. His quarry was a band of theives, the Schwarzwind. Thier deeds grew more daring with every rumor he'd come across in Ober-Getzenberg. He'd already been accosted by them once in his search. Three of them attempted to rob Siegfried of his sword, but they quickly backed down when they found that he could use it. Now he was casting about the Black Forest in the area they had fled.

A twig snapped, and the bushes to Seigfried's left shuddered with movement too large for a squirrel. He drew his blade, Faust, just before a figure darted away into the woods. He ran after it. The stranger was fast, but not so fast that Siegfried lost him, no matter how much underbrush he crashed through or how many branches struck him in the face.

The youth broke free of clutching branches and close-knit trees as he came to a clearing. He found himself surrounded by bandits. There were six in all, ragged teenagers bearing even more ragged weapons. Each wore the black cloth mask that marked them as Schwarzwind. Siegfried brandished his sword defiantly. "Shall I deal with you one by one or all at once?"

One of the group stepped forward and removed his mask. Although he carried a sword, it remained in its sheath. "We're not looking for a fight," he said "At least, not between you an' us. I am Helmut, captain of Schwarzwind."

Siegfried planted Faust in the ground before him. "And I'm giving your bunch a run for their money, am I right?"

Helmut smiled wryly at the other boy. "Well, you've certainly come to our attention. You're good with that hunk of metal. If you're looking to put that to use, I'm here to ask you to join us."

"You're asking me, a knight's son, to join a gang of theives?" Siegfried snorted.

Helmut shook his head. "We're more than highwaymen. We fight for the German people in our own way. We strike at the powerful, in their pockets where it hurts the most. What do you say?"

Siegfried lifted his blade. He brushed the dirt off its tip before sheathing it and said, "I'll consider it."


	2. A Strange Meeting

**Author's ****Note: Dielte's name is pronounced deel-ta.**

The Dreizack house was a tiny one, the property they lived on not their own. Carsten Dreizack had fallen ill several years ago, and passed away. His widow, Melusine, along with their two children, now did all the work on the small farm. It was becoming difficult to get by, especially with Lord Gozzo's taxes. Still, if they all worked together, they managed to make ends meet.

Sixteen year old Dielte was awakened by the sound of her brother's feet hitting the floor beneath the loft they shared. She would have assumed that he was just going out to relieve himself, but the rustlings of activity below were out of the usual. Dielte peeked over the edge of the loft, trying to make out what her brother was doing.

Franz had donned a shirt and was putting on his boots. He crept past the pallet where their mother slept and through the door. Dielte threw on a shawl and shoes and dropped down the ladder to follow. She wondered if he'd heard something and was going to investigate. Perhaps the geese had escaped? Or was there a bandit outside? Either way, Dielte wanted to help.

She was puzzled when Franz started on the path to town. She was even more confused when he left the streets of Ober-Getzenburg, taking a seldom-used road into the forest. All the while, Dielte followed him at a distance, trying not to be discovered. She didn't quite know the reason why, at first, only that the quiet night seemed to require it. The further her brother went, the more curious Dielte became, and the more certain she was that Franz wouldn't bring her with him if he knew she was there.

Dielte dropped further back when she spotted a light on the path ahead. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up." The voice was that of the torch-bearer. It seemed vaguely familiar to Dielte.

"I have to wait until everyone's well asleep." Franz replied.

"Get a move on, then, you've probably made us both late."

Now Dielte could keep much further away without losing Franz and his companion, thanks to the light of the torch. They left the path and bulled through the undergrowth for a bit before hitting an even smaller trail, if you could call it that. The two boys spoke to eachother now and again, Franz mostly asking questions of his friend. Their unknown follower could never really hear what they were saying. She only knew that there was something very strange going on.

They came to a clearing, lit by a generous fire. Dielte concealed herself behind a beech tree whilst her quarry joined the group of shifty-looking teenagers there. Now she caught a good look at the boy who'd led Franz here, and wasn't entirely pleased to find that it was Siegfried.

She didn't know the Schtauffen boy very well. Everyone knew _about_ him, to be certain, for his father was the hero of the town and owned a fair deal of property. Franz was sometimes his friend, and in Dielte's opinion, more like his lackey. Siegfried was more arrogant and self-assured than she liked.

Helmut stood up to greet them. "Siegfried. I think that's everybody who could get here tonight. In case any of you weren't with me the other day, this is Franz. He's with us - at least, he will be when we see what he's made of."

Siegfried pushed Franz and his words of thanks aside. "What did you want us to meet like this for, Helmut? Not just to roast apples, I hope."

"Beef, actually, a treat. We earned it, didn't we?" Helmut sliced off a hunk of the meat that sizzled over the fire. He passed it to Franz, but didn't offer any to Siegfried. "Liberated from Lord Gozzo's larder. Speaking of wealthy men, I've heard that there's one who's going to be coming through our area, right Kaspar?"

Kaspar nodded. "Right, there's a traveling merchant coming from Altenham. He sells his wares from town to town. He's been on the road a while, which means he must be pretty loaded down by now, in his purse, if you know what I mean. He's coming by this way, first to Ober-Getsenburg, then on to Kurtstadt before heading back north through Uberwasser."

Helmut reassumed speaking. "His name is Detlef Rupprecht. Word is he goes well protected, with at least seven guards. There are sixteen of us now, counting Franz. We can lighten his pockets at the bridge between Getsenburg and Kurtstadt."

"Don't you think we should ambush him after he leaves Kurtstadt?" Siegfried interrupted. "Rupprecht will have that much more money to take after he sells his wares in Kurtstadt."

Helmut scowled. Ever since he'd invited the younger boy to join them, Siegfried had gained a great deal of respect among the Schwarzwind- too much respect. "We're unfamiliar with the road north from Kurtstadt. It's a wide road, and without the woods growing close in. That leaves us nowhere to hide, therefore nowhere to spring from. The bridge has always worked in our favor- of course, you haven't been doing this long enough to know that."

Siegfried rose to his feet. "You say you're unfamiliar with the road out of Kurtstadt, yet you also tell me there's nowhere to hide on it. How would you know? Marten lives in Kurtstadt, get him to scout it out. You just like to hide behind your bridge because it's familiar. Besides, wouldn't the insult be best just after Rupprecht finishes his sales? All his work behind him and all his gold before him, when a wind blows through and snatches it away."

All the while, Dielte had been creeping forword, belly down on the forest floor. She was now concealed in the bushes just behind Helmut. She could see the firelight playing up Franz's red hair. He spoke up now: "I think it's a good idea."

"I guess, but the bridge always worked for us before," said Kaspar.

"I'm game," said Lewenhart, "We're the Schwarzwind, after all. We're not afraid." Most of the group seemed to share his opinion.

Helmut kicked the remainder of the roasting meat into the flames. "That's all well and nice, but I'm the one in charge here. We ambush Rupprecht at the bridge, and that's final!" Schwarzwind fell silent. Their leader took a few steps back, preparing to outline the details of his plans. What he did instead was step on Dielte's hand. Her gasp of pain caused him to wheel around. "Who the hell are you!"


	3. Dielte and the Schwarzwind

Dielte clambered to her feet, curling her bruised fingers to her chest. All of the Schwarzwind leapt up at her appearance. Franz groaned, "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here? I should ask you the same question! You snuck out of the house in the dead of night to join a bunch of highwaymen!" She answered.

"You know her?" Helmut asked Franz.

Dielte replied instead, "Oh, he knows me, I'm his sister. While we're at it, I know Siegfried over there; and I'm pretty sure I recognize you, Arndt, the baker's son; and Wilhelm; and-"

Helmut shot a sour look at Siegfried. "You're a real genius, Schtauffen, you led her straight here!"

"I'm afraid that was Franz. Personally, I'm surprised you don't bother to post sentries."

"Yes, you're the one with all the bright ideas, aren't you?"

"I am, thank you for noticing."

Lewenhart finally put an end to the fracas. "All right, everybody shut up, stop yelling! We're not getting any sense out of all this. Helmut, please take charge."_ Instead of squabbling with Siegfried like a pair of children._

Helmut ran a hand through his hair, as though trying to dislodge the frustration from himself. "Franz, your sister followed you here tonight."

"I didn't know, honest, I'm sure she was asleep when I left!" Franz said quickly.

Dielte spoke up. "I brought myself here. I want to know what Franz is doing here."

Franz's eyes darted away. "You know we could use the money."

"I see." The girl fell silent for a moment. "So, this is Schwarzwind. From all the rumors about you, I thought you'd all be older. You know, desperate criminals and the like."

"More like desperate patriots, really." Helmut smiled thinly. "Now, I'm sure we can come to an agreement to keep your mouth shut about this meeting. Like, we won't come strangle all your geese one night."

"You start the bidding awfully high, don't you?" Dielte said, and pulled a sour look. "Listen. My brother and I stick together, for one thing, and for another, I've got a terrible sense of curiosity. How about you let me join, and I'll keep my lip buttoned?"

Helmut broke out in laughter, along with the rest of Schwarzwind. "Are you kidding me? You're a girl!"

Siegfried came over to put a hand on Dielte's shoulder. "You underestimate her, Helmut. That's exactly what our prey would think- just a girl, no trouble at all. And she snuck up on us well enough."

Dielte pushed his arm away and growled at his sarcasm, "You leave me alone."

Helmut took things differently. He had been losing ground to Siegfried all night, and now he saw a chance to get back at him. "You know, my friend, that is another of your great ideas. Let her join! For a trial period, of course. Who expects a highwaywoman? You've been so eager to bring in new recruits, Sigi, first Franz and now his sister."

Siegfried's smile slipped from his face. "Be serious, Helmut, I was joking."

"Oh, I am serious." A hardness entered Helmut's eyes. "In fact, you ought to be completely responsible for her. Heaven forbid she doesn't do well, because we'd all know who to blame. But I'm sure she'll be in good hands with you." Schwarzwind was behind him this time. All of them were grinning at their leader's joke. All of them thought that Dielte wouldn't last long, that she'd probably change her mind before she even got back home.

For her part, Dielte was well aware that she was being used as a point of contention. However, the situation worked in her favor, if it earned her a place in the group. Furthermore, she found it satisfying that Siegfried was losing face through all this. "Thank you, Helmut." She seated herself next to her bewildered brother.

Helmut resumed discussing his plans for the ambush, all the while savoring the look on Siegfried's face.

* * *

><p>The Dreizack siblings parted company with Siegfried at the edge of town just before dawn. "Are you going to show me the ropes later on today, Sieg?" Dielte asked.<p>

"No." Siegfried grunted as he walked away. "You and Helmut had a laugh at me, haha, very funny, but he's obviously not serious about letting you join. Go home and don't bother me again."

Dielte stuck her tongue out at his retreating form. "So," she said to Franz as they headed for home, "We're bandits now. And do I need to ask how you got yourself into this?"

"Siegfried invited me." Franz shrugged. He had always looked up to the other boy, and would do almost anything Siegfried asked him to. "But I think he's right, you should stay home. If we're both out all the time, what would Mom think?"

"That's a good question, did you even stop to think about that before throwing in your lot with a gang of highwaymen?"

"You know we need the money." Franz repeated.

They reached trudged down the lane to their little house. They didn't bother trying to sneak back in to bed. They just went on to start the morning's chores. Dielte's voice rose above the cackling of the geese. "You're right, we do need the money. That's why I'm not staying here and letting you run all the risks. That's why I'm staying in Schwarzwind."

Noon of that same day saw Dielte making her way across Ober-Getzenburg. Her honey blonde curls bounced with her stride. She was very pleased with her excuse for getting away from home- returning a cooking pot they had borrowed. Dielte staid at that house for a while, to chat with a friend, before heading off for the manor where Siegfried lived.

The Schtauffen home was the biggest in town, built of stone and surrounded by a honeysuckle-clad wall. In years past, it was more prominently a governing house. As the role of knighthood dwindled, however, the power was being reabsorbed to Kurtstadt from whence it had come hundreds of years ago. Needless to say, the people of Ober-Getzenburg were none too pleased to find themselves more and more under the rule of Lord Gozzo. This made them value their beloved knight, Sir Frederick, and the Schtauffen household all the more.

Dielte strolled through the open gate and into the yard, sending several chickens scattering. She heard sounds coming from around the side of the house, so she didn't bother knocking on the door. She rounded the corner and came upon Siegfried.

The yard opened up into a wide, grassy area. He stood shirtless, with his sword resting point down in the ground behind him. A post stood to one side, with a leather dummy strapped to it, looking like it had seen better days. He was pleading with the family's one and only servant, Grosselmier.

"Come on, Gross, I really need your help. I have to practice with somebody. Look, I'll wrap the wooden sword in cloth this time."

Grosselmier was a middle-aged man, sporting a generous mustache and beard. He was leaning out of a lower story window. "I have no desire to get my shins knocked off again, boy."

"That was your own fault, I told you I was practicing low swings. Look, maybe if we loosened the straps on some of my armour, you could try that..."

"If you don't remember, we tried that once before. You took it to mean that just because I was wearing armour, I was invincible, and you beat me black and blue."

"That was three years ago! Wait, don't leave, what if we wrapped you with-" Siegfried sighed in frustration as Grosselmier retreated into the house. He hefted his zweihander out of the dust and rounded on the hapless dummy. His swing faltered as he caught sight of Dielte, standing beneath a tree that grew close to the house. "What the hell are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?"

Dielte sauntered forward. "What, and let you get in trouble with Helmut? How could I?"

Siegfried rolled his eyes. "In case you didn't notice, I don't much care what Helmut thinks. And what are you doing with _that_ thing?"

The 'thing' in question was a pitchfork she had brought with her. The head featured four prongs of battered cast iron, and the haft was of badly weathered wood. "I thought it would be a good idea to bring a weapon." Dielte said.

Siegfried's eyebrows rose. "Alright, so where's this weapon?"

"Har har. So are you going to teach me what I need to know or not? Either way, I'm not leaving Schwarzwind."

The boy heaved a sigh and grabbed his shirt from where it lay tossed over a nearby barrel. "You're never going to give me any peace if I don't. Come on."

Dielte followed him out of the yard. They left town by the least used roads. Soon, she found herself swallowed in the fastness of the Black Forest. Siegfried pointed to a beech tree, fallen at an angle to one side of the path. "This is the landmark for where to leave the trail. You follow the line of the trunk straight into the forest." Dielte found herself wading through the same patch of woods that she'd navigated the night before, but with considerably less tripping through thorns. Siegfried noted a few more landmarks that kept them on the right track. Gradually, a small trail emerged. This brought them to the clearing.

"Is this the bandit camp?" Dielte asked, wandering about and twirling her pitchfork lazily.

"No," Siegfried snorted. "This is the meeting place. If Helmut wants us to meet here, he'll send someone to each town any of us are living in, but it depends on the situation. Sometimes he can only spare one person. They usually find a way to get in contact. At the very least, they'll leave either a black stone or a black feather on your doorstep. Then you know there's a meeting that night."

"So, is there a bandit camp or not? Helmut's got to be sending people from somewhere. I don't see him sitting around here."

"This way." A short way into the bushes around the clearing, there was another path. This led them through a particularly thick patch of woods and around a hill. There was a sharp dent in the land, sheltered by close growing conifers. In this rocky depression there were tents and a large, canvas sheltered lean-to. The place was marked as a thieves' lair by the myriad of trinkets that decorated it. A set of glassware was spread about the ground, a silver-lined horse halter hung from a tree, and a fancy-feathered hat was perched on a stone, just to name a few things.

Lewenhart was there, sitting on an intricately carved wooden stool by a tiny fire, eating. He was surprised at the appearance of Dielte and Siegfried. "Hey, you're actually doing what Helmut told you to? Did you have something funny for breakfast?"

"Shut up." Siegfried growled.

Lewenhart shrugged. "Hello," he said to Dielte. "What was your name again?"

"Dielte."

"Lewenhart." The brown-haired lad stood up and dusted crumbs from his shirt. "Welcome to Schwarzwind headquarters. A couple of us live here, mostly the ones without families, like me. Uh, what's with the pitchfork?"

"Oh, it's a weapon," Siegfried told him with mock gravity.

Lewenhart managed to keep a straight face as he replied, "I see."

Dielte shot Sieg a quick glare, but otherwise ignored the jibe. "Where's everyone else now?"

"Working." Lewenhart said. "Helmut's gone with Kaspar up to Altenham to check on Rupprecht. Tielo and I were out all night. He's in there," he nodded towards the lean-to, "still sleeping. The rest are on the road. It's dull work, waiting around all day for an appropriate target, but it puts money in our pockets and food in our bellies."

"Should we join them?" Dielte asked, looking to Siegfried. "I think I ought to learn this stuff."

He coughed uncomfortably. "I don't, I still think you should quit."

Lewenhart piped up. "You just don't want to show up in front of the others with her in tow."

Siegfried shot him a foul look. "Will you keep out of this?"

The other boy shrugged. "No. You can at least show her some of our stake-out places. And at least brief her on the bridge."

"Fine, but she's not even going to be there," Siegfried muttered. "Come on, Dielte."

He took her out of camp by a different route this time. "This way leads to Werner road," he explained. It did indeed, a good half mile away. They turned onto that road, walking towards town, until they came to a bend that turned around a high bank. Siegfried pointed up at the boulder adorned hill. "That's a prime spot to lie in wait. I'll show you why."

The pair went around the side of the hill and clambered up it. From here, one could see down the road both ways while remaining out of sight amongst the rocks and bushes. Dielte sat down on one of the rocks. "How do you tell which people to rob?"

"Generally you want the rich-looking ones, travelers, foreigners, minor nobles. We avoid bothering the others- peasants collecting firewood or villagers hauling bags of vegetables to sell. They don't have that much to take in the first place, and in the second, you just don't rob your neighbors." Siegfried explained. "A good thing to look for is if they've got a weapon. That's usually a traveler, or some wandering warrior, or someone who thinks they've got something worth protecting."

"Like that guy?" Dielte asked, pointed up the road the way they had come. There was a man walking along towards them, a sword hanging in a sheath from his belt. His clothes looked stressed, but nicely made, particularly his embossed leather boots.

"Um, yes, actually," Siegfried admitted after a moment of study.

Dielte sunk down amongst the boulders, her voice dropping. "Do you think we can take him?"

He snorted. "Are you kidding, I could take care of him with one hand tied behind my back."

"Good." With that, Dielte slipped down the hill on the side closest to the man.

"I didn't say we _were_ going to rob him, I said we _could_." Siegfried was trying to call her back while keeping his voice down. "I mean, not us, just me. Wait!" By now, though, the man had seen Dielte, and all Siegfried could do was crouch out of sight and watch. _I'm going to kill you, Helmut,_ he thought to himself.


	4. Robbery and Ambush

"Hello, young lady." The man hailed Dielte as he walked up. "Can I ask what brings you out here?"

She gave him a friendly smile. "I'm on my way to Ober-Getzenburg, from Uberwasser. I was just taking a rest, you see, it's been such a long way. But my cousin lives there, and she's just had a baby, which is why I'm visiting. My name is Swanhilde, by the way"

"And mine is Gunther," the man said, with equally friendly attitude. "Why do you carry a pitchfork? Not a present for the babe, I hope?"

"Oh, no," Dielte said bashfully. "Actually, I have to admit, I'm a little frightened of bandits in these woods. It's a bit nerve-wracking to think that I'd be traveling alone, so I brought this with me for protection."

Gunther smiled at the girl's naivety. "You know, Swanhilde, I'm going through Ober-Getzenburg myself. You're welcome to travel with me the rest of the way there."

"Really? That's very kind of you." Dielte gushed. "Honestly, it's a little silly to picture me fighting off bandits with this thing all by myself. Thank you very much, Gunther."

Somewhere in the middle of their conversation, Siegfried had begun creeping down the other side of the hill. As they rounded the bend, he drew his blade and started towards them. Gunther, noting the youth's aggressive advance, drew his own sword. Dielte gasped with pretend fear and jumped behind him. "Drop your weapons, both of you!" Siegfried ordered. "And you, man, throw your bag on the ground and step away."

Gunther wasn't about to comply. "Brigand! I won't let you lay a hand on me or this innocent girl!"

The innocent girl in question now brought her pitchfork into play. She caught her victim's arm between two of the tines, sliding the fork down to his hand. It caught the hilt of his sword and forced it from his grasp. Siegfried flicked the sword away with the tip of his own, while Dielte made herself busy pinning Gunther's foot to the ground with a second jab of her pitchfork.

"He told you to drop the sword," she said, smirking at the surprised look on his face.

Siegfried leveled his blade at Gunther. "Now, drop your bag and empty your pockets. Take off the fancy boots, too. Oh, and don't worry about that sword. You were just beaten by a girl, so I don't think you have the right to use it."

Gunther threw his haversack down, glaring balefully at his attackers. "I wasn't beaten, but deceived, by a lying little highwayman's chit!"

"What!" Dielte cried indignantly, tugging her pitchfork out of the dirt so Gunther could take his boots off. "I am no such thing, so you keep your mouth shut about what you don't-"

Siegfried held his hand up. "Don't let yourself get upset, 'Swanhilde'. He's the one at a disadvantage, not you. Now, you, Gunther, is it? Where are you bound?"

Gunther stared at the huge zweihander that was pointed at his face. "South, to Ingerfeld," he answered sullenly.

Siegfried cut the straps off of the man's haversack and proceeded to tie one around his feet, hobbling him. "I'm sure you'll get there eventually." He tied Gunther's hands behind his back, as well, then gathered up his bag and boots. "Farewell, Gunther, and be more wary of pretty girls on the road in the future." He nodded to Dielte and they left, going back up the road the way they came. "We don't want to be going the same way as him. He's bound to go through Getzenburg on his way to Ingerfeld."

A grin spread on Dielte's face. "I can't believe we just did that! What did we get?"

Siegfried rifled through the bag. "Some food, a knife, water, a cooking pan. These and the boots we'll drop off at camp. Then there's the sword, not the best quality, but still, weapons are always a good gain. Oh, and this." He drew out a bag of money and handed it to her. "Here."

Dielte opened it. "What, all for me?"

Siegfried shrugged uncomfortably. "Sure. It was you're first time, not to mention your idea. Besides, I don't really need it."

"Thanks."

On their way back to the camp, Siegfried did brief her on the bridge. He still insisted that she probably wouldn't be allowed to come. Dielte took this as seriously as every other belittling thing he'd been saying to her. All in all, she decided, Siegfried wasn't quite so bad as she had taken him to be.

* * *

><p>It was quite late in the day before Dielte arrived home. She rolled up her sleeves as she stepped in the door. Her mother was already chopping vegetables for dinner. "Dielte, how long does it take to return a pot? Franz just spent all day patching that hole in the roof by himself, and the geese haven't been fed yet."<p>

Dielte rolled up her sleeves and started kneading the lump of pie dough that sat on the table. "I'm sorry, Mother, I got carried away talking to Tabea. I'll feed the geese while dinner's cooking."

"And have you seen the pitchfork?" Melusine continued. "The donkey's stall is a mess, but I can't find the dratted thing. I hope it isn't lost. We're still trying to buy the leather for Franz's new shoes."

Dielte kept her eyes on her work while she answered. "Oh, er, I'll take a look for it while I take care of the geese. I'm sure it can't have gotten too far..."

Once the pie was ready for the oven, Dielte nipped out to do her chores. While she was placing the pitchfork back in its rightful place, Franz found her. "Where have you been all day?" He asked.

"With Siegfried, getting the grand tour," she said. "I even robbed somebody today."

"What?" Franz cried. "No fair. _I_ haven't gotten to rob anybody yet!"

Dielte ruffled his hair. "Poor guy."

He brushed his sister's hand away. "At least I've got some news that you haven't heard yet."

"What?"

"Rupprecht the merchant's arrived. He'll be here all day tomorrow, and he'll be leaving at dawn the day after that," Franz said.

"And that's when we'll be ambushing him, on his way to Kurtstadt, right?" Dielte asked.

"Yeah." Franz answered. "Although I have to admit, I kind of liked Siegfried's idea better. You know, robbing the merchant after he's been to Kurtstadt."

Dielte shrugged. "You think everything Siegfried says is a good idea. Come on, I think dinner should be about ready now."

* * *

><p>All the next day, Dielte remained at home. Under normal circumstances, she would have gone to see the merchant and his wares, even if she couldn't buy anything. Considering that she'd just robbed somebody yesterday, she thought it best to lie low. It wouldn't do for Rupprecht to see her, anyway. All the same, Franz did go, for Dielte had given him some of her money to spend. <em>We're just going to get it back anyway,<em> she figured.

Siegfried also didn't go out, and for much the same reason. Instead, he did as he did every day since his father had left- practice. He would spend hours in the yard, hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, exercising with the huge sword. Faust had been smithed especially for him; Frederick had sent all the way to Ostrhiemsburg for it. At first he could barely lift it, let alone swing it. Now he could tote it easily in one hand, he was intimately familiar with its weight and balance. Now it was a connection between Siegfried and his father, a man who left his family to travel far away and fight for them.

He couldn't sleep that night, not in anticipation of the coming heist, but because of his nightmares. This was not the only time his father had left to lend a fighting hand to those in need, but every time he did, dark dreams came to fill his absence. Siegfried couldn't rid himself of that nightly world, in which there seemed to be endless ways for his father to die.

Sometimes he could only watch as Frederick was pushed off a burning wall, or be mistaken for a criminal while on his way home and hung. Sometimes Siegfried tried to save him, but he always seemed to fail. His father would be ambushed by a hundred soldiers, or die defending a position for reinforcements that would never come.

The youth rose just before dawn, leaving his bed unused for its intended purpose. He crept down the stairs, past the room where his mother slept alone. Siegfried had to tiptoe past Grosselmier's room, for the man didn't sleep too heavily. He went to the armory, which was not as impressive as once it had been. Now it only contained his equipment and odds and ends such as a gauntlet that missed its partner, a few rusted swords, and some bows, most of which lacked string. It was far enough away for Siegfried to put on his armor without waking Grosselmeir. Finally, he slung the strap of his sheath over his shoulder, adjusted _Faust_ to hang comfortably at his back, and set out.

The Schwarzwind were to meet directly at the bridge, which lay ten feet above a small gully that was often swampish. Hiding beneath and around it, they would wait until Rupprecht's entourage was directly above them. Then they would attack the carts, their main goal being to get to the merchant and keep him hostage against his hired soldiers.

The members of Schwarzwind that lived at the camp were the first ones at the bridge. Siegfried and Helmut exchanged a stiff 'hello' before the Schtauffen lad went to sit next to Lewenhart. Others showed up in small groups from the towns, Dielte and Franz among them. Franz bore the sword that was taken from Gunther, for Siegfried had given it to him. Dielte fended off the odd looks that her pitchfork elicited from the group.

The first light of day found all seventeen members of Schwarzwind assembled beneath and about the bridge between Ober-Getzenburg and Kurtstadt. All that remained was to wait for their prey to come to them. Helmut sent Tielo up the road a little way as scout.

The group was tense, only speaking to each other in whispers, if at all, and taking alarm at any noise from above. This did not last after the first fruitless hours. As the sun rose, their manner grew more careless, and several took off their masks, but a puzzled anxiety remained. "Wasn't Rupprecht supposed to leave Ober-Getzenburg at dawn?" Siegfried wondered, and he was not the first to do so. "Half the morning's gone. What's keeping him?"

Helmut called forth one of the gang. "Wilhelm, go to town and find out what's happened to Rupprecht. Be quick about it." He watched the boy scramble up the bank before he returned to pacing about the gully.

"Maybe he decided to stay another day." Dielte offered. "Maybe he finds Ober-Getzenburg good for business."

Helmut seemed to notice her for the first time that day- he had been largely ignoring her until now. "That's what you'd think, but his people were preparing his carts and horses this morning. Arndt lives near the inn, he checked before he came. Something's not right."

It was the better part of an hour before Wilhelm returned to the bridge, this time with Tielo. He slumped on the edge of the bridge, legs dangling above the Schwarzwind. "I think we've lost him, Helmut. He wasn't at the inn, so I asked around town, said I wanted to know because there was something I wanted to buy. Rupprecht went back the way he came, he's going to Kurtstadt by another route. I don't know why."

"Damn it!" Helmut swore. "Why the hell would he go that way? How could he have known?"

"I suppose he must have picked up on rumors about us while he was in town," Siegfried said. "Perhaps because people have been robbed at this bridge before."

Helmut fixed a suspicious eye on Siegfried. "Oh it's that again, we use the same old place too much, I'm stuck in my ways. It doesn't matter now, because that man and all our money with him is long gone. And you know what? We're not going all the way to Kurtstadt and beyond to chase him down."

Siegfried snorted. "Now you're just being unreasonable. Of course we should go. You're saying that your own gang isn't good enough to do it? That's insulting, Helmut, to all of us."

Helmut stalked towards him. "I'm trying to keep all of us here safe. There's not enough cover there, we're not familiar with the area, and there's nowhere to run if we can pull it off. It's Gozzo's town, we'll have soldiers after us for certain if we show up in large numbers all of a sudden."

"This from the same guy who stole a whole slab of beef from Lord Gozzo's own kitchen?" Siegfried sneered at his leader. "You just don't want to go because it was my idea."

"I said no, Schtauffen, I said it two nights ago! For all I know, you probably warned the merchant about the ambush so you could have things your way!" Helmut had barely finished the sentence when Siegfried gave him a shove that sent him stumbling backwards into the rocky ravine. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed for his sword. "I'll take that as a confession!" He snarled.

The gang withdrew to the sides of the depression, clearing a space beneath the bridge. They realized that a bid for authority was begun. Siegfried unsheathed_ Faust_, his eyes blazing. "I did no such thing, and you'll eat those words now if you know what's good for you!"

Helmut let his blade fall back into its sheath before he took his belt off and threw the lot aside. "If you're fixing to take my place, traitor, it'll be hand to hand, fair and square."

A nasty smirk came to the younger boy's lips. "I'm sure that's the way you want it, Helmut, you've seen me use this sword. Still, it'd be a pity to stain it with your blood." So saying, he passed his zweihander to Lewenhart and met Helmut's charge fists first.


	5. Altercations

The two boys battled all about the gully, kicking, punching, and wrestling. Helmut managed to dodge one of Siegfried's advances and kicked the feet out from under him. He wasted no time in pouncing on his fallen enemy, and the two grappled in the mud for a while. Siegfried was coming off the worse for this until he caught Helmut in the ribs with his elbow and rolled away. The combatants broke apart for a moment, each trying to catch his breath.

"I'm going to send you crying home to your mother, Schtauffen." Helmut sneered. "Too bad she's all you've got left. Your father's been away a long time, he's probably been killed by now."

"No he hasn't!" Siegfried shouted. He leapt at Helmut, who dodged him neatly and kicked him behind the knees, toppling him. Siegfried rolled forward, trying to avoid further assault. He wasn't even up off the ground before Helmut was on him again. He rose to meet the advance with a fierce head butt that caught Helmut under the jaw, which sent the other boy's teeth together with an audible _crack! _Once again, the two separated, one nursing his jaw and the other an aching skull.

Helmut advanced slowly, a satisfied leer on his face. He was older, bigger, and quicker than his adversary. He was also much better versed in hand to hand combat. It was only Siegfried's armor that kept him in the fight, but at the same time, he wasn't able to land much damage on his opponent. "I don't see why you're so upset," Helmut said. "How would you know he's really your father in the first place? We all know that your whore of a mother had you before she was even married!"

Siegfried kept circling Helmut. Even though the insult made his blood boil, he had learned from his mistake. His father had always stressed that a warrior must hold his temper in combat. Zweihanders were big, heavy weapons. They were not renowned for speed, so each swing had to count. He had to make a single, well-placed strike.

"You're one to be talking about parents for an orphan, Helmut," Siegfried called. "At least, that's what you'd like us to think. I know who my father is, and I bet I know who yours is, too. You were born out of wedlock. A bastard son was too much of an embarrassment for his reputation, so he cast you out, and you hate him for it."

He wasn't able to finish. Helmut was on him in a fury of blows, most of which left him wide open. Siegfried deflected the strikes with his armor. He waited for Helmut to make the right mistake, and when he did, Siegfried clocked him on the side of the head with his vambraced arm.

Helmut crumpled to the ground, blood welling from his temple. Siegfried booted him back when he tried to sit up. "I think you've had enough, Helmut. Schwarzwind is in better hands with me. I suggest you find yourself another place in the world..." Here his voice dropped to a menacing tone that only Helmut could hear. "Unless you want me to tell them that you're Lord Gozzo's bastard brat, and you only needed them to get back at Daddy."

Helmut scowled, but nodded. He clambered to his feet, wiping the blood from his face, and stalked out of the gully without looking at anyone. Two of the Schwarzwind also left, following a short distance after Helmut. The rest all stared silently at Siegfried. He took his sword back from Lewenhart and climbed onto the bridge to look down at them.

"I am now the leader of Schwarzwind. If anybody doesn't like that, they can follow Helmut and the others or face me. His plan failed, and we've been in this stinking ditch long enough. You're dismissed now, but there will be a meeting tonight which you're all to attend. Kaspar, Tielo, and Marten, I want you three to come with me to camp."

Siegfried sheathed his sword and set off towards his new bandit camp, confidence describing his stride. He was now in possession of his very own band of thieves!

* * *

><p>Dielte and Franz traveled to the meeting place together that night. Siegfried and some of the others were already there, hanging about a considerably smaller fire than the previous meeting. His eyebrows rose when he caught sight of Dielte. "What are you doing here?"<p>

"You wanted a meeting and I'm part of Schwarzwind, I hope you haven't forgotten," she said.

"That was Helmut's bad idea, not mine. I'd really rather you went home and staid there." Siegfried muttered without conviction. Dielte only rolled her eyes at him.

Franz shuffled over. "Um, Sieg, I kind of have something to tell you. In your ear, in a manner of speaking. Privately." Siegfried obliged, and they retreated into the forest a short way. Dielte tagged along with them.

"You've been acting funny all day, Franz." She said. "What is it?"

"There goes privacy, but you can go ahead and spit it out." Siegfried said.

Franz took a deep breath. "Alright. You know how Rupprecht changed course this morning? That was me. I was the one who tipped him off. I was trying to get it so we could do your plan, Sieg, because I thought it was better. I really didn't mean to land you in a fight over it."

Dielte smacked a hand to her forehead and groaned. "Franz, you didn't!"

"I had a bad feeling you were going to tell me that." Siegfried sighed. "Thank you for the sentiment, Franz, but you're an idiot. Next time you want to help me, I'd like to know about it first. What exactly did you tell the merchant?"

Franz was looking thoroughly sheepish. "I went to town to see his wares yesterday. I just went over to him and told him to be careful leaving town today, that there were thieves in the area. He said that's what he had his mercenaries for. I said that if he wanted to avoid the trouble all the same, that the bridge was a favorite ambush place for the bandits. He said he'd consider the matter, and I guess that's that. Uh, you aren't going to tell the others on me, are you?"

"Considering they've just had a change in leadership, no. I need Schwarzwind unified."

They returned to camp, where most the band was now assembled. It seemed that everybody was there, save for the two boys who had left with Helmut, and those had been with him since the beginning. Siegfried addressed the company.

"There's been a change in plans, you might have guessed. I've been out to Kurtstadt today, some of you were with me. Rupprecht is staying there all day tomorrow, and leaving for Uberwasser the next. Unfortunately, Helmut was right in that there's not much cover. But he was wrong about us; we _can_ pull this off. It's mostly all fields and rocks along the way, but there's a ditch by the side of the road near Uberwasser. That's where we can take cover."

"Near Uberwasser?" Tielo interrupted. "That might be alright for Marten and anyone else who lives in Kurtstadt, but that's a stretch for the rest of us."

"What's stopping you from getting there?" Siegfried asked. "Start walking at noon tomorrow, you can make Kurtstadt by suppertime. By the way, I'm paying for us to eat there, myself. Then we can make the ditch by midnight."

"I'm out this time," Arndt said glumly. "Between that and the time it takes to get back home, my family will miss me sore for sure." Two others boys held the same sentiment.

"So, that makes ten of us." Siegfried said. "It won't be easy against the guards. When I give the word, we break straight for Rupprecht's carriage. I want to hold him against his own mercenaries."

Dielte raised her hand. "You're a little off count, Sieg, that's eleven of us. And as far as holding Rupprecht hostage, I think I have an idea..."


	6. The Merchant

The next day, Dielte walked once more to Siegfried's house. The two of them took to the road on horseback, keeping to a steady trot towards Kurtstadt. Siegfried's horse liked to try going a bit faster, as she was still young. "She was born the year my father left," he explained after having to slow her down once. "So we named her Frieda, after him, sort of."

Dielte sat astride behind him, having worn an outfit that she usually used for working in- a blue dress with the skirt slit up one side and tied in a knot over green pantaloons. She asked, "and how long has he been gone for now?"

"More than two years. Two years and seven months," he replied. "I don't expect he'll be gone much longer. He sends a letter, now and again, when he can find somebody heading this way to deliver it. He's the head of his division, you know, and probably the best in the world with the zweihander." There was evident pride in Siegfried's voice whilst describing his father.

"That sounds very good for him." Dielte said as they rode past the road marker for Kurtstadt. "My dad's been gone five years, not the sort where he can come back. I remember after he died, Sir Schtauffen tried appealing to Lord Gozzo on our behalf, trying to get our taxes lowered. It didn't work, of course, but it was still a nice thing to do."

Siegfried stopped the horse before they entered the town. "You should probably walk from here. I'll ride in first, and I'll be waiting in the alley behind the seamstress. I want to be sure you're set before I go back."

Dielte dismounted and took up her pitchfork. It now bore a bundle of supplies bound to the tines. She shoulder the lot and waited a bit after Siegfried left before starting into town herself. It was not difficult to find where the merchant had set up his stalls. Dielte had been in Kurtstadt before a few times, and Rupprecht's carts and goods were in the main square, as she'd expected.

The traveling merchant was a man in his fifties, with wispy grey-blonde hair and dressed simply, but well. Dielte made a show of perusing his wares, waiting for his current crowd to finish buying their things. Eventually the buyers moved off, and she wandered over to Rupprecht. "Excuse me sir, I hear that you're heading north. Are you going by Uberwasser?"

Rupprecht glanced at her. "I am, what is it to you?"

"My name is Swanhilde. I have a cousin in Uberwasser who's just had a baby, and I've been traveling all the way from Ingerfeld to see them. I was hoping to secure passage with you."

"I don't take passengers," the merchant replied flatly. "I'm a businessman, not a coach service."

Dielte produced a pouch and jangled it before dropping it on the cart. It was the money she had taken from Gunther. "I'm prepared to argue, Herr Rupprecht."

Rupprecht opened the bag and sifted through the coins inside. Then he smiled at her. "As I said, miss, I _am_ a businessman. Since I'm near the end of my journey, I'm sure I can find room for you in the carts. I'm leaving tomorrow at dawn, and sharply. My people and I will be heading out from the Bersenbath Inne."

* * *

><p>Once Dielte had everything squared away with the merchant, she went to look for Siegfried. He was leaning against a tree in the back lane, with Frieda munching the grass nearby. "How did it go?" he called when he saw her.<p>

Dielte closed the distance between them before answering. "I did it, Rupprecht's giving me a lift. And we're definitely leaving tomorrow morning, very early. And guess what else? One of his merchants dropped off. Got into a fight in town this morning, I think it was over his running up a tab at the bar. Anyway, the merchant wasn't about to pay for his mistake, and he's not waiting for him to get out of jail a week from now. So we've got one less to worry about."

"The rest of the Schwarzwind will be pleased to hear that." Siegfried said. He hesitated before adding, "And thank you, for taking the risk."

"Thank you for hearing me out in the first place. I know how hard that must be for you." Dielte smiled. "And look after Franz for me tomorrow."

Siegfried mounted his horse. "Oh, I'm always looking out for him."

"If you want to confuse that with bossing him around, like the time you got him to go with you into the bell tower and ring the church bells in the middle of the night. You had half the town in a panic thinking there was some kind of emergency." Dielte taunted. "What were you even thinking?"

Siegfried shrugged. "I was eight years old. My father was away fighting, and we were trying to call God and ask Him to bring him back. Aside from the angry clergy and townspeople, I'd say it worked, because he did come back that month. As for being bossy, yes, I'll look after your brother, if only to keep you off my back."

Dielte did have a cousin, an older girl who was married and had two small children. She spent the rest of the day with them, as well as the night. This was her excuse to her mother as to her absence. It also saved her a stay in the common hall at the inn. Dielte's cousin thought that she had to leave early in order to help with work at home. Having risen while it was still dark, she packed her bag, tied it to her pitchfork, and made for the stables of Bersenbath Inne.

Three canvas covered carts stood in the yard behind the inn, with a stable hand busy fitting the horses to their shafts. Rupprecht stood in the yard, overseeing the treatment of his goods. "Good morning to you, Miss Swanhilde," he greeted Dielte upon seeing her. "I hope you slept well, wherever it was that you slept. I did not see you about the Inne last evening."

"I have friends here in Kurtstadt, Herr Rupprecht." Dielte explained. "They may not have a horse to lend me, but they did offer a place to rest my head."

Eventually the merchant's guards emerged. There were six in all, two armed with swords the others with knives. Although she kept a cool exterior, Dielte's stomach was churning with anxiety. Any of those blades could find its way to Franz, or to Siegfried, or to any of the others in the Schwarzwind. She wondered if it was worth running the risk of bloodshed or worse for the extra money, but toiling in the earth was not putting enough food on the table. Only last winter several geese had fallen ill and died, and her family didn't have the resources to replace their lost stock.

Dielte hardened her resolve by thinking of how much relief she would be bringing to her mother. If the government didn't give them a way for them to make a living lawfully, she had to find other means by which to provide for herself and her family. Rupprecht was not in danger of going hungry, nor of being indebted to Lord Gozzo. He could stand a little loss- the Dreizacks could not.

Soon, the caravan rolled out of Kurtstadt and into the dark roots of dawn. Each of the three vehicles was driven by a mercenary, with Rupprecht seated in the foremost. The other three men rode their horses in and among the carts. Dielte sat amongst a herd of empty crates in Rupprecht's cart.

The morning was muffled in coming by a veil of fog that remained through the hours of travel. Dielte peered into the mist all the while, fearing she might miss the ditch. When it did come into view, she went into action. While freeing her traveling sack from the end of her pitchfork, she faked two loud sneezes - a prearranged signal to Schwarzwind that this was their target. Dielte slipped to the front of the wagon. Rupprecht soon felt the cold tines of her pitchfork on the back of his neck.

"What...!"

"Stop the wagons and tell your men to drop their weapons and stand down," the girl commanded. The merchant tried to turn and grab the fork from her, but Dielte jabbed his shoulder hard. Her fear of losing power over the situation lent a harsh, convincing edge to her voice. "Tell them now, or you'll get more than a nasty bruise from this!"

Even as the man complied, Schwarzwind emerged from the fog. Siegfried now took charge. "Relieve those guards of their weapons and sit them down in the ditch for now. Tielo and Marten, keep watch on them." He came to lean his elbows on the edge of the lead cart. "Good morning, Herr Rupprecht. If you want to avoid more trouble from our lady friend here, you'll be agreeable and tell me where the money is."

"What else would a thief be after?" The merchant grumbled. "Get on with your wickedness then, it's in a chest beneath the driver's seat."

Siegfried gave the wood a thump. "Good man. Lewenhart, tie his hands and escort him to the ditch."

Lewenhart reached for the purse on the merchant's belt. "What about this?"

"Leave him it. He'll need the pocket change to get home- or to pay his guards with, though I don't think he will." He turned to Dielte, his green eyes glinting oddly from beneath the ragged black mask he wore. "Oh yes, Dreizack, well done."

Siegfried allowed a little while for his band to paw through Rupprecht's carts for unsold stock. He also allowed some self-congratulation on the first big heist under his direction. This would only be the beginning of a new Schwarzwind, he decided. He would lead them to be not just a gang of petty robbers, but the force for the people they said they were. While his father fought for Germany outside the country, Siegfried Schtauffen determined to do the same from within.


	7. The Broken Wagon

Over the next several months, the fame of Schwarzwind spread. Fear of the black-masked youths spread along the roads, especially the main roads surrounding Kurtstadt. Not only did the group's reputation swell, but it's numbers did as well. Their scope had broadened considerably, with Siegfried even adding outpost camps to man the area that they covered.

Unpopular nobles and their agents were accosted in and around the various towns in the area. In the towns, icons of factions considered unpatriotic were defaced. Upholders of unfavorable ideals were robbed in their own homes. Even wanted criminals were targeted, so long as they weren't a member of Schwarzwind and their crime a truly serious one. Such were either found trussed up outside a jail or sheriff's house somewhere, or more and more often slain outright.

The Dreizack siblings had become particularly close to Siegfried, and they formed as his base in Ober-Getzenburg. If other members in town, like Arndt and Wilhelm, needed to be notified of something, it was usually through Franz and Dielte. The three of them often hung about at the Schtauffen home. Sometimes it was to discuss Schwarzwind business, but most of the time it was to train.

Now that Franz had acquired a sword from their thieving ways, Siegfried decided that he needed to learn how to use it. Dielte, too, wished to learn how to handle her own weapon. One of the first things she bought with her gains was a new pitchfork. She also wanted to be present at Franz's training, a situation that Siegfried was notorious for taking advantage of. He didn't mind terribly, so long as he got somebody to swing his zweihander at, with or without restrictions.

"Mother, I really don't need to go to market. We have enough money this week to keep the eggs." Dielte and Franz had finished with their farm chores, for the morning at least. Normally, this was topped with a visit to town, but Dielte had other plans for her time.

Melusine Dreizack was of a different opinion. "The eggs still need to go to market, Diel. You skipped it last time and I had to send your brother. I don't know what godless things you do for money, but I still want to make our living the honest way."

"Really Mother, you don't need to send either of us. We'll do it next time. I can't today."

Her mother flicked a suspicious glance at her. "If it's for that mysterious income of yours, forget it. I thought you just said that we had enough money this week, anyway."

Dielte shifted uncomfortably. "No, not for that, I'm just going to town to visit my friends."

"Friends?" Her mother snorted. "You hardly see most of your old friends anymore, not even Tabea. You mean you're going to see the Schtauffen boy, whom you've apparently stopped hating."

Dielte blushed. "I never _hated_ him, Mum, we just picked on each other when we were kids. He's all right. And I already told him I was coming over today."

"And I've already told you not to. Eggs, to market, now!"

Dielte took a deep breath and picked up the egg basket. On her way out, she also picked up her pitchfork. The eggs made it to market only in that they were carried through it. They were borne straight to the Schtauffen house, where Dielte deposited them with Siegfried's mother at the front door. "We wound up with more than we could get around to eating ourselves, so I thought you might like a few," she explained.

Margarite Schtauffen was relatively young, her build thin but strong. Her fabled beauty was still apparent despite the weariness in her blue eyes and the many stray wisps of ash blonde hair that escaped being tied back with the rest. "Oh...don't you usually sell the extra eggs? I really appreciate this, then, thank you." She took the basket and tucked it beside the door. "If you're looking for Siegfried, he's gone, I wish I could tell you where. I don't suppose you know?"

"Um, no, but maybe I can find him somewhere." Dielte replied, and began backing off. "I guess I'll go look now. Enjoy the eggs, bye!" As she passed through the front gate, she spotted a black feather stuck in a crack in the paving stones. She made off for Schwarzwind headquarters.

Siegfried was indeed at the main camp, along with five other boys. They were just putting out the fire and taking up their weapons when Dielte arrived. "Here you are, Sieg. I hope you weren't expecting me to spar with Grosselmeir today instead of you."

Siegfried finished adjusted the straps on one of his poleynes, the part of his armour that protected his knees. "Oh no, I thought we'd be able to make off without you. Tielo just found a cart full of stuff, stuck on a back road with a broken axle. I don't think we need more than the few of us to take it."

"Sounds good to me," Dielte replied. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Deep in the forest a laden cart stood stranded, the front end leaning at an unusual angle. Two men were with it. One was pacing back and forth throughout the glade, occasionally stopping to scan his surroundings. The other was half dozing in the broken vehicle, hands behind his head with one leg dangling over the edge. There was no beast of burden present that would have been pulling the cart, leaving the unknowing bystander to guess that a third party would have ridden away with it in search of help.<p>

The pacing man eventually stopped his meandering to rummage some food from the back of the cart. "Don't fall asleep on me," he said to his companion, "we're supposed to be on the lookout for these Schwarzwind brats."

The lounging man opened his eyes. "I'm awake here, mate, just playing my part. Never know if they mightn't be out there watching. Probably won't show up till nightfall, though. Sounds a good time for thieves to strike."

"Could be they don't even know we're here." The other man wondered, still pawing through the supplies. "They might not come at all, and we both know Gozzo will have us out here for days rather than let us pack it in."

"Yeah, he would alright. You know, he-"

It was then that the Schwarzwind emerged from the forest, all masked and bristling with weapons. One stepped forward, pointing a huge sword at the pair. "You two, drop any weapons you have and sit down away from the cart! Do this quickly and we won't have to run either of you through," he commanded.

They didn't listen. Both drew swords, and the one in the cart also blew on a whistle that hung around his neck. The band of young thieves found the tables turned against them as a score of men appeared from various hiding places. "Retreat!" Siegfried cried, realizing the trap they had fallen into. "Scatter and run!" He swung the flat of his blade at the first attacker, sending the man crashing into those behind him before running off with the rest of the boys.

One of Gozzo's men halted the rest. "Don't go harrying off in all directions, just focus on a few of 'em! Get after their leader!"

Siegfried's heavy armour didn't make fleeing easy. The ambushers were gaining on him. He was beginning to look about for a place to make a stand when Dielte shot past him. "I'll lead them off!"

"Don't get caught!" Siegfried replied, then sheathed his blade and continued running.

The men did stop chasing Siegfried to go after Dielte, who passed dangerously close by them. She lead them off from the direction he'd gone in. Now she just needed to lose them, and at the moment things weren't looking good. They were catching up to her, one in particular getting very close indeed. When he was nearly upon her, Dielte turned and struck the man in the face with the haft of her pitchfork. Another one leapt past his fallen companion at her. She had to stop and deal with that one, too, dashing the blade of his sword aside. By this time, several more men were able to catch up and surround her.

"Drop the pitchfork, thief, unless you want to test your luck against all of us."

Dielte gripped the haft of her weapon hard in frustration before throwing it down and surrendering. She was marched back to the glade, where they bound her hands behind her back. Soon after, Tielo was brought under similar restraint by the last of the ambush party. "Gozzo's not going to be happy," one of the men said. "We only got two between the twenty of us."

Another man answered, "At least it's a start on pest control. Maybe he could use them as bait for the rest."

"Oh no, the master isn't interested in playing games with them." The first one said, leering at their quarry. "He's after examples."


	8. Kurtstadt

There was no end to the cursing Siegfried did when he found and Dielte and Tielo were missing. After an hour of waiting at camp for his band to re-gather, he sent several of the Schwarzwind back out to find them. He went himself to Ober-Getzenberg to see if Dielte might have gone straight home. The only one he returned with was a very worried Franz.

What a stupid, simple trap to fall into! he thought. Surely he should have anticipated a move like this from Gozzo sooner or later, given all the trouble Schwarzwind was causing. If there was anything Siegfried hated, it was being at fault. His frustration with himself quickly became anger at the circumstances, and at Lord Gozzo. There was no telling what he would do with Tielo and Dielte.

It was late in the day before the last of the searchers returned to camp. They'd returned to the glade where the ambush happened, and the only thing they found was an abandoned pitchfork. Siegfried took it up and stood before his band of thieves. Nearly all the members of Schwarzwind had gathered here by now.

"Do any of you know what this means? It means we're having an effect! Lord Gozzo set a trap for us because he's afraid of us, because we're a threat! I'm going to show him just how much of a threat we can be. We're Schwarzwind, and we don't abandon our own. Tonight, we're marching to Kurtstadt and freeing our friends, and we're going to teach that bastard to truly fear us!"

* * *

><p>Darkness fell as the Schwarzwind neared Kurtstadt, as though they were bringing the shadows with them. Outside of Lord Gozzo's estates, Siegfried parted ways with them. "Remember, you can't let them lose interest. Keep hitting and running, keep them distracted."<p>

"How will we know when you've got them out?" Lewenhart asked.

"I don't think you will. An hour should be sufficient, maybe less if things get difficult. We'll meet at the main camp." With that, Siegfried drew his blade and disappeared into the town with Franz not far behind.

The stables where Gozzo's fine horses were kept were infiltrated by four dark figures. Each animal was released from its tether, and all the gates were opened. The beasts wandered out, calmly at first, but panic spread among them as fire bloomed in the empty stables. Horses bolted, and people came running to try and quell the chaos. Even as frantic hands hauled buckets of water to put out the blaze, other less helpful hands began smashing the windows of the manor. The whole of Gozzo's household, and the servants surrounding it, was provoked to uproar by the Schwarzwind. What proved the most infuriating was that they could not be caught. They would run when spotted and pop up in another place to vandalize whatever they could. They spread chaos gleefully, untouched.

While this was going on, Franz and Siegfried made their way to the prison house. It was a small stone building, on the manor property but not too close to Gozzo's house. There were two guards outside the door, but they abandoned their post when the bedlam at their master's home broke out. The boys hid behind some trees as they ran by, then they hurried to the jail. They stuck to the wall just to the side of the door, which had been left open. Siegfried signaled Franz to wait before he poked his head around to look in, and came face to face with another guard.

With a shout, the man grappled for the sword at his side. Siegfried already had his out, and quickly stabbed him high on his leg. The guard fell to the floor, cursing and bleeding. "Quick," Siegfried told Franz, "Gag him or something, shut him up."

Leaving Franz to clean up after him, he stepped past the fallen guard in the doorway. The prison had four tiny cells in it with a narrow passage in between them. Dielte and Tielo occupied the two on the right, and they leapt up at his appearance. "Thank God you're here!" Dielte cried. "They were going to hang us in the morning!"

Siegfried put his anger at the thought into the swing of _Faust_, shearing the lock from the bars. "You do know that the guard has a key, don't you?" Tielo said as he came out. Dielte enveloped Franz in a quick embrace, then told Siegfried, "I'd hug you too if it wouldn't be like squeezing a stack of tin pots."

"Gee, you're welcome. I was in the area and decided to drop by," he grumbled. "Now let's get out of here."

"Wait, we should probably let him out, too." Dielte pointed to the rear cell on the left. Lurking at the back of it was Schwarzwind's former leader, Helmut.

Siegfried sneered. "_Him_? He can look out for himself, we've got no time."

"We can't just go and leave him here." Dielte turned to get the keys from the fallen guard, but found nothing but a patch of blood on the floor.

"Franz, he got away!" Siegfried shouted. "That does it, we're out of here before he brings back more." He started off, but Dielte grabbed his arm and dragged him back.

"What about Helmut?"

"I don't care about Helmut, we need to leave!"

"He might not exactly be your friend, but it's wrong to leave him here, they might kill him. Here, give me the sword, I'll do it."

Dielte tried to wrest _Faust_ from him. Siegfried jerked it out of her grasp. "Alright, fine, if it keeps you from getting us all killed," he huffed.

Siegfried tore the lock off of Helmut's cell with one blow. The other boy pushed past him, growling, "Great, just what I need, patrimony."

The five of them dashed out the door. They were spotted by a group of armed men who were making their way up the lane from Gozzo's manor. "Well, if I never see you again, it'll be too soon." Helmut said. "I'm not thanking you, but good luck anyway." With that he took off into the night.

"I hate to say it, but Helmut's got the right idea. We should split up, let's go!" So saying, Siegfried disappeared in the direction of town with Dielte. Franz and Tielo went the other way, around the back of the prison house. The men who were chasing them were trying to herd them towards the Gozzo manor and the crowd of people there.

"Let's look like we're with them!" Franz panted. The boys joined the group of people who were busy stamping out the last of the flames from the stable.

The ruse worked, at least at first. Their pursuers went right by them. After losing sight of their quarry, they circled around and started asking people if they'd seen them. Then one of the men approached the stable. "Hey, you two, come here, who are you?"

The man was standing squarely in the entrance, sword drawn. Other people in the stable began to turn their attention to the two boys. Tielo picked up a wet sack, covered in soot from putting out flames. He threw it at the man's face while he and Franz ran past. The man swung his sword blindly, inflicting a long slash down Franz's forearm. The two escapees made off through the milling crowds, then through Lord Gozzo's gardens.

Franz stumbled to a halt on the other side of the garden wall, the pain of his wound having settled in. He was leaving an obvious trail of blood behind. It wouldn't take long for their pursuers to reorganize themselves and find it. He jumped as a figure appeared from the field ahead.

"Franz? Tielo!" It was Lewenhart, along with several other Schwarzwind. "So you did it! Come on, hold that arm tight, we'll look after it once we get you out of here. Where are the others?"

"We split up, they're alright," Franz gasped as he staunched the blood with the hem of his shirt. "At least I think they are."

* * *

><p>Siegfried and Dielte were cutting through the town, flying through streets and weaving between houses. Gozzo's men had split up, and wherever the two bandits turned, they couldn't seem to shake them. They darted into a cartwright's shop, startling a sleeping apprentice, and burst through a shuttered window at the other side. They paused to catch their breath in the alley behind the building. "We should find someplace to hide," Dielte panted. "It's like the whole town's out looking for us!"<p>

Siegfried nodded ascent. They carried one, more carefully this time. After slipping through a few narrow lanes, crouching in the shadows every so often to avoid detection, they clambered onto a low rooftop. They were on the outskirts of Kurtstadt now. Siegfried crawled to the curved apex of the roof on his belly. "There's a barn over there, if we can get to it," he said quietly

The pair tucked themselves into the shadow a taller building was casting on their roof. Even though the moon was barely half full, it had taken upon itself to shine unhelpfully bright that night. They could hear the intermittent shouting of the searchers to one another. Fortunately, none sounded very close by, and after several minutes of this Siegfried and Dielte slipped off the roof. Together they snuck towards the barn. Although the clanking of Siegfried's armor sounded unbearably loud to them, they made it inside without incident.

Although a few shafts of moonlight found their way through deteriorated slats at the top of the walls, it was primarily dark inside. The only things occupying the barn was an old wooden wagon half submerged beneath a pile of dusty straw. "Doesn't look like anyone pays much attention to this place. How long do you think we should keep our heads down?" Dielte asked.

Siegfried took a handful of straw to clean the blood from his blade. "Maybe an hour or so, just to be safe. We probably don't want to be too long, though, or Schwarzwind will start worrying about us and Franz would be in hysterics."

"Stop it, he would not." Dielte picked out a clean spot in the pile to sit down in. Once Siegfried was finished cleaning _Faust_, he sat down next to her as she continued. "Oh, thanks for coming to get us, by the way. I was beginning to contemplate turning on the waterworks, telling them I was pregnant and the whole nine yards." She shuddered.

"You?" Siegfried gave a short laugh. "Never."

Dielte smiled grimly. "You're right, I'd never live down the shame. You seem to be doing a good job, though, considering how you were going to leave poor old Helmut in Lord Gozzo's clutches."

"Gozzo's a crumby person, but I didn't figure he'd hang his own son, bastard or not." After a moment, he admitted reluctantly, "Still, I guess I might have been not completely honorable. Doesn't matter anyway, I let him out in the end, didn't I?"

When there was no reply, he looked over at Dielte and found she had fallen asleep. Siegfried stayed awake for a long time, disturbed by the darkness in his own heart. He didn't like questioning himself about whether he was right or wrong; the conclusions would lead to changes he didn't want to make. He decided to push the issue aside and forget about it, erase it from existence. Tired of his inner battles, Siegfried finally fell into another kind of darkness: that of slumber, and the visions that awaited him there.


	9. The Italian

Siegfried woke up in the dead of the night to Dielte slapping his face. "Hey, cut it out, I'm awake already! What's going on?"

"You were shouting in your sleep," Dielte explained. He was frightfully sore from sleeping in his armour, and she gave him a hand up. "Maybe a good thing, there's no telling how long we've been out."

Siegfried brushed the straw from his hair and rubbed his face wearily. He cracked opened the barn door. "It doesn't seem anywhere near dawn, so we probably didn't sleep too much." _I certainly didn't_, he thought.

"It should be safe to head home, then." Dielte said. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, I don't even remember what I must've been dreaming about. Let's go."

They didn't even bother keeping to the woods. Kurtstadt seemed deep in slumber, exhausted by the incident at the manor. They took the main road to Ober-Getzenberg. They weren't far along when the rider appeared on the path before them, surprising to tired duo. They dove into the bushes on one side, although it was clear that the man on the horse had already spotted them.

"Who'd be out riding at a time like this? It's probably one of Gozzo's men, looking for us." Siegfried whispered.

They watched the tall hooded figure as he stopped his horse near where they'd abandoned the road. "Whoever you are, show yourselves!" The man barked. "I know you're there!"

Dielte started backing off into the woods, but Siegfried drew his sword. "That's it- I'm tired, I want to go home, and I'm sick of getting chased around!" He stepped out onto the road and challenged the man. "You'd better keep out of my way!"

The man drew the hood back from his balding head and smirked. He spoke with a strange accent. "Aha, the moon wasn't playing tricks on my eyes after all. Assuming you aren't simply an imbecile, you must be suicidal. Well, if you want to throw away your life, who am I to stop you?" With that he leapt off his horse, taking up the magnificent trident that was lashed to the animal's side as he did so. He didn't wait for Siegfried to begin the engagement, but launched into a series of lightning quick jabs.

From the side of the road, Dielte watched the battle in awe. Despite the fact that Siegfried was on the receiving ends of his attacks, she had to admire the strange man's skills. The trident head seem to be in several places at once. Where it narrowly missed pinning her friend's shins at one moment, the next he had whirled the trident around and hit his shoulder with the flat of the tines.

Siegfried had experienced nothing like this in his training cum brainstorming sessions with Dielte. He sent his sword lunging forward, only to have it batted aside. He only barely regained his composure enough to block a return stab, locking his blade between the trident's tines. His opponent pushed him backward before quickly withdrawing his weapon for a stab that caught Siegfried's sword arm. He drew the fork back, trying to dislodge the boy's grip on the hilt.

Siegfried moved forward with the force of the pull, raising his arm up to free it and striking the man on the head with _Faust's_ crosstree. He followed up with another overhead strike, only to meet with the trident's teeth once more. This time, it was he who would do the disarming. With a twist, he forced the trident head down and kicked up at its shaft, knocking it from the man's grasp. Siegfried slashed upwards at the his side before he could move away, dealing him a terrible wound.

Siegfried cast aside his sword and stood with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. Dielte approached victor and fallen, saying, "I don't think he's one of Gozzo's."

"Hardly." Siegfried replied. He kicked the man lightly. "You, who are you and where do you come from?" He received nothing but a groan in reply, so he knelt down and seized the man by his clothes. "Are you deaf? Tell us what you're doing traveling out here in the middle of the night!"

"Agh! Get off of me, you wretch! Ugghhh, the pain, damn you, you've killed me!"

Siegfried shook him a little. "I wasn't asking for melodrama, old man, I'm looking for answers."

"I'm about my master's business, brat. Ahh! Let go of me and I'll talk!" Siegfried obliged, and the man lay back, cradling his torn body with both arms. "He is a wealthy man in Italy, a collector of rare weapons," he croaked. "There's been talk- ugh- an enchanted sword, unbelievable powers..."

"And he sent you all the way out here looking for it?" Siegfried asked incredulously.

"Vercci employs many agents," the man said, his voice trembling with pain.

"You must be lying. Surely I would have heard of such a sword."

"Rumors," the man gasped, "From Ostreinsburg...for those who keep their ears open..."

"What sorts of rumors? What about Ostreinsburg?" Siegfried asked, but he received no reply. The power of speech was beyond the Italian now. He backed away from the dying man. He stood alongside Dielte in silence until the man gave up the last of his breath.

"Hmph. Enchanted weapons, the stuff of bedtime stories. What do you make of that? Dielte?"

The girl had turned to pick up the Italian's trident. It was clearly a well made weapon, the haft of polished mahogany and tines glinting in warm bronze. The two outer arms of the head curled gracefully around and then outward, framing three straight, thinner tines set close together in the center. She expected it to be too long for her, having been made to suit the tallness of its previous owner, but it was not. In fact, as she swung it about a bit, it seemed to become the perfect weight and balance for her. "I don't know," she said, answering Siegfried's question, "This Vercci guy seems to equip his people with quality stuff."

Siegfried dragged the dead man to the side of the road, then covered him with his cape, but not before taking his wallet first. He and Dielte used the man's horse to get back to Ober-Getzenberg. Neither of them returned strictly home, but went to sleep the remainder of the night at the Schwarzwind camp. Siegfried's mother was fairly used to him disappearing overnight. Dielte didn't want to face her own mother's wrath until she'd gotten some sleep first. She was going to need all the help she could get.


	10. Concerns

Melusine Dreizack was indeed livid with her offspring. Franz had returned home late last night with a poorly bandaged arm and spilled everything to his worried mother. As Dielte walked in the door that morning, Frau Dreizack first embraced her daughter, then wiped the tears from her eyes and laid into her.

"I know exactly where you've been and how you got there. I thought you and Franz were up to no good, and I didn't want to know, but this does it! Both of you were almost killed last night. I'm almost glad your father isn't alive to see how you've become a pair of thieves!"

"But we're not like that, Mom, we do it for the common people, against the rich and powerful..." Dielte protested.

"You and your bandit friends might think that, Dielte, but nobody will agree with you. Any authority can see that the Schwarzwind are rebels, vandals, and highwaymen. Lord Gozzo would like nothing better than to see you all hanged, and you could have been the first! Do you think I raised you for the gallows?"

Dielte slumped onto the bench at the table, next to where Franz was sitting. "Franz! What happened to your arm?"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Melusine interrupted, exasperated. She sighed, then continued in a softer tone. "I should have stopped you two when you started all this, but I turned a blind eye because of the money, and for that I'm ashamed." She bent to put a hand on each of their shoulders. "I know things have been hard for us since your father died, but we've always made it through the honest way. Just because Gozzo and others don't treat us fairly, it doesn't give us license to do the same."

So saying, Frau Dreizack sent Franz back to bed and whacked some porridge into a bowl for Dielte, who ate her breakfast in cowed silence.

* * *

><p>Siegfried didn't see Dielte for several days after her capture and the ensuing incident at Kurtstadt. He himself was laying low, along with the rest of the Schwarzwind. Gozzo was, of course, furious, and all the towns in the area were littered with posters calling for the people to turn any members of the group in to the authorities. The woods, too, seethed with soldiers looking for them. Siegfried staid busy making sure that all their tracks were covered and all their strongholds remained hidden.<p>

After some weeks with no sign of the Dreizack siblings, he decided to pay them a visit. He took Dielte's trident with him, as she had left it at the camp so as to avoid more trouble with her mother.

Dielte and her mother were at work in the garden when Siegfried came upon them. He stashed the trident behind a tree before approaching. "Good morning, Frau Dreizack..." he attempted to greet their mother, who stopped working to glare at him. Dielte blanched and ushered him out of sight.

"Sorry, you're not exactly my mom's favorite person now," she explained.

"She found out what happened?"

"Yeah, we got a pretty good bawling out over it. Come to think of it, doesn't your mother ever do anything about you?"

Siegfried shrugged. "She used to try, but she doesn't like yelling at me and I usually just ignored her when she did. Anyhow, I brought your trident over." He took it from where he'd left it. "Funny, it seemed to get easier to hold on my way over here. It seems like a good weapon. You should give it a name."

Dielte took the weapon from him. "I was thinking about that. I'm calling it _Harfe_, because it looks a bit like a lyre." She sighed. "I guess I need to tell you...Franz and I are kind of backing out of Schwarzwind for a while."

He was taken aback. "Why?"

Dielte's voice dropped. "Well, for one thing, Franz got cut pretty badly. Mom had to stitch him up, and it'll take a while for him to recover."

"I heard about that. But why do you have to leave, too?"

"There's also the fact that Mom's really unhappy with the whole situation right now. We don't mean to leave forever, it's just a break until things settle down here. I mean, she doesn't even want us being friends any more. That's what I'm really supposed to be telling you now, otherwise she wouldn't have let me talk to you at all."

Siegfried's heart sank. "So I'm not going to see you anymore?"

"No, don't be silly." Dielte scoffed. "I'm not _that_ obedient. I'll still come over your house from time to time. I have to have someone to poke at with this new fork. As for Schwarzwind, I'm sure we'll be back soon."

Siegfried caught sight of Frau Dreizack coming to look for them. "I'd better get out of here. I don't like the idea of facing your mother, she might kick me out of Schwarzwind, too."

While making his way home, Siegfried was surprised at how disheartened he was over the withdrawal of the two Dreizacks. He had come to be truly good friends with them. Still, he was sure they would be back as soon as Franz was well enough to. He'd never seen much point in listening to his own mother, and figured that they wouldn't, either.

As he entered the yard of the Schtauffen house, the youth caught sight of Grosselmeier leading a horse away to the stables. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that it was a proper knight's mount. Siegfried flew to the front door, but the man talking to his mother inside was not his father. He hid his disappointment quickly as Margarite turned to introduce the man.

"This is Otto Kubal, he's from your father's division. He's on his way home to Altenham, and he's staying the night here."

Siegfried reached out to shake Otto's hand, asking, "My father sent a letter back with you, didn't he?"

"Of course he did." Otto rummaged through his haversack. The letter was barely out of the bag when Siegfried snatched it from his hand and made off to his room with it. Otto shook his head at the retreating figure. "I'd be just as impatient. All Frederick ever talked about was that boy. He's very proud of him."

Margarite's brow creased faintly. "He's his father. He couldn't do otherwise."

Siegfried tore the seal off the letter on his way to his room, leaving a trail of crumbled red wax along the floor behind him. He sat on his bed and began to read, skipping over 'my beloved Margarite' and 'how is Frieda growing up'. He always started with the war information first.

'Things are not going as well as hoped. Since our defeat at the Battle of Mezőkeresztes, all we've been doing is capturing fortresses, losing them, recapturing them, and so on. This war has become a tedious one, and morale is suffering because of it. Desertation is becoming a problem for us. I've resorted to sending some of my own men home before they take that course themselves. I hate to see them sink so low, but I know things are hard. I myself am getting lonely for home, but I'll have to wait until I can do so honorably. I hope to make you both as proud of me as I am of you.'

Siegfried took the time to read the letter more thoroughly, from the beginning. A frown fell across his face as he read the last paragraph again. Deserters! In all the tales of heroes he'd grown up with, there was no worse form of life than a coward. _My father fights valiantly in the face of hardship, and people are running away and leaving him!_ The idea was galling. _I would never do that. I should be out there, with him._

The boy leaning against the window pane, not really looking through it. He longed for the day that he could go out and fight alongside his father. All his deeds with his gang of thieves helped him feel like he was the hero he wanted to be, but it was frustrating being stranded in Ober-Getzenberg. For now, he had to fight his own little wars, close to home. Surely someday soon, he would be called to the field of battle where he belonged. Leaving the letter on the bed, he abandoned his room for the training ground, in preparation for that time.

* * *

><p>Otto Kubal found himself the object of Siegfried's cold calculation at dinner that night. The boy pried all sorts of information from him on the war. What the youth received was a good many frustrated accounts. "Things have been going neither backward nor forward for a while now," Otto said, summing it all up. "We do have a few victories here and there, but they're petty ones. We take a road, a town, a fortress, then those damn Turks take it right back, and we start all over again."<p>

"Where's Michael the Brave then?" Siegfried asked, naming the man who was the hero of the war, albeit a foreigner. "What's he trying to do now?"

"The Wallachian prince? Waiting for help from his allies, as we are. The Emperor may send more our way, but this has happened before. He makes good headway up until he hasn't got enough troops to carry on with, and it's wait for the allies to catch up. Meanwhile the rest of us are stuck holding our positions."

Siegfried began picking his bread apart absently. "And that's when the soldiers start deserting, right? The war doesn't seem to be getting anywhere, so they give up and go home."

"That's more or less so." Otto agreed with the boy's observance.

"So where do you fit in?" Siegfried asked carelessly.

"Fit in what way? What do I think? I think we've got too many countries in the pudding, if you want to know. Our allies all have their own interests. Even Michael the Brave preys on some. That, and our Holy Emperor doesn't care about the war at all, only his own hobbies."

"You don't think the war's going anywhere." The Schtauffen boy looked up from his bread crumbs. "So you're going home."

Margarite frowned. "Siegfried, you know your father gave him leave."

Otto began to fiddle with his own food. "That's true. My daughter is getting married, and Frederick was good enough to let me come home to see it."

"So you're getting a personal holiday while your division's struggling in somewhere in the Ottoman Empire?" Siegfried continued, ignoring a reprieve from his mother. "If people are deserting, you should have staid there. My father's done it, he's been gone years without seeing us, because he's fighting for us. How can you back to your family like that?"

"Now don't go getting your feelings about your father being gone all misplaced, boy." Otto growled.

"He only let you go because he knew you'd run off anyway." Siegfried shot back at the man.

"Siegfried, that's enough!" His mother shouted. "I'm ashamed of you! I won't have you insulting our guest."

Siegfried upset his dinner plate as his got up, spilling half eaten food from it. "He's not _my_ guest. He's a coward, and I won't sleep under the same roof as him." He stormed out of the dining room, intending to fetch his things and spend the night at the camp. He gathered up the few things he needed from his room, stumbling over things in the dark. Then he headed to the armory to get his sword. Siegfried adjusted the halter of the sheathed blade upon his back and stepped out of the house. He found his mother waiting for him there in the yard, a thin, tired figure against the dark.

"I thought you'd be going out." She said. "Sieg, I don't know why you do this. You're always sneaking around in the dark, spending nights away from home, always so angry. Can't you tell me why? I only want to understand."

"What's there to understand? I've got a life of my own, I can do what I want with it." Siegfried answered shortly. He brushed past her, dismissed her as he always did. It was something he'd gotten very good at over the past several months. Besides, he was right, he thought. If his father couldn't come home, then neither should anyone else.


End file.
